1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a structure for supporting, relative to a vehicle body through an instrument panel, a steering device including a steering shaft adapted to transmit a steering force of a steering wheel to road wheels.
2. Description of the Background Art
Generally, the above steering shaft is arranged to pass by a space just below an instrument-panel member extending in a width or lateral direction of a vehicle, and rotatably mounted within a steering column.
When a driver sits in a driver seat, the knee of the driver (passenger) is located adjacent to a steering shaft. Thus, there is the need for providing a structure allowing the driver's knee to be kept from interfering with the steering shaft in the event of a vehicle collision.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-40080 (Patent Publication 1) discloses a steering lock device intended to reduce an impact during a vehicle collision at a given level or less so as to ensure passenger's safety.
Specifically, in a steering lock device includes a tubular casing body housing a key cylinder adapted to be rotationally operated by a key, a lock support member extending from the casing body toward a steering shaft and having a tubular guide portion, and a lock member disposed in the lock support member to extend along the guide portion and adapted to be moved between a lock position where the lock member is engaged with the steering shaft according to the rotational operation of the key and a release position where the engagement is released, the above steering lock device comprises an anchor portion formed in the lock support member to allow the steering lock device to be fixed to a vehicle body, and a breakage-inducing portion formed in a connection portion between the casing body and the lock support member to induce a breakage of the connection portion in response to a given impact force, whereby in the event of a vehicle collision, the connection portion is broken to allow the casing body to be rotated upward about the lock support member so as to reduce a load to be imposed on the knee of a passenger and reduce an impact to the passenger at a given level or less.
The Patent Publication 1 includes no description about a specific structure and a technical concept allowing the steering shaft itself to be displaced upward during the vehicle collision.